Michiel van de Panne
@mvandepanne.bsky.social
UBC Computer Science; physics-based models of human movement; deep reinforcement learning; animation; robotics
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
November 14, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Chinese delivery robots in action
November 11, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Chinese delivery robots in action
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Another shot of the xpeng robot. really surreal stuff.
November 8, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Another shot of the xpeng robot. really surreal stuff.
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
For those following global surface temperature anomalies, October 2025 is going to finish 1.50C above the pre-industrial baseline and 3rd hottest on record since 1940.
Which also means that October, 2025, is likely the 3rd hottest October in the last 120,000 years.
Which also means that October, 2025, is likely the 3rd hottest October in the last 120,000 years.
October 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
For those following global surface temperature anomalies, October 2025 is going to finish 1.50C above the pre-industrial baseline and 3rd hottest on record since 1940.
Which also means that October, 2025, is likely the 3rd hottest October in the last 120,000 years.
Which also means that October, 2025, is likely the 3rd hottest October in the last 120,000 years.
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
We know Mark Carney is trying to drive a "grand bargain" on climate and energy. It's time for him to lay out his side of the arrangement -- and learn from the communications mistakes of his predecessor. #cdnpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/o...
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/o...
Mark Carney needs to come clean on climate
The prime minister has been conspicuously quiet about an issue that seemed to define his politics before he entered the partisan arena. That needs to change.
www.nationalobserver.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:11 PM
We know Mark Carney is trying to drive a "grand bargain" on climate and energy. It's time for him to lay out his side of the arrangement -- and learn from the communications mistakes of his predecessor. #cdnpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/o...
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/30/o...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
UBC Computer Science invites applications for up to two full-time tenure-track positions with the following priority areas: visualization, robotics, reinforcement learning, data management, and data mining. Applications are due Wed Dec 10, 2025. Learn more: www.cs.ubc.ca/our-departme...
October 23, 2025 at 12:43 AM
UBC Computer Science invites applications for up to two full-time tenure-track positions with the following priority areas: visualization, robotics, reinforcement learning, data management, and data mining. Applications are due Wed Dec 10, 2025. Learn more: www.cs.ubc.ca/our-departme...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Our 2024 paper showed that policy gradient RL (with performance-based memory updates) predicts long-horizon motor learning. Now, @adrianhaith.bsky.social shows that policy-gradient RL also explains learning in other shorter horizon tasks. Exciting!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Policy-Gradient Reinforcement Learning as a General Theory of Practice-Based Motor Skill Learning
Mastering any new skill requires extensive practice, but the computational principles underlying this learning are not clearly understood. Existing theories of motor learning can explain short-term ad...
www.biorxiv.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Our 2024 paper showed that policy gradient RL (with performance-based memory updates) predicts long-horizon motor learning. Now, @adrianhaith.bsky.social shows that policy-gradient RL also explains learning in other shorter horizon tasks. Exciting!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
A new essay on the crazy, all or nothing approach to work happening in AI today, the looming human costs, and the lack of a finish line.
I wouldn't say it's okay, but I'm not sure how to fix it.
www.interconnects.ai/p/burning-out
I wouldn't say it's okay, but I'm not sure how to fix it.
www.interconnects.ai/p/burning-out
Burning out
The international AI industry's collective risk.
www.interconnects.ai
October 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
A new essay on the crazy, all or nothing approach to work happening in AI today, the looming human costs, and the lack of a finish line.
I wouldn't say it's okay, but I'm not sure how to fix it.
www.interconnects.ai/p/burning-out
I wouldn't say it's okay, but I'm not sure how to fix it.
www.interconnects.ai/p/burning-out
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
When the ICE agent is Canadian… | This Hour Has 22 Minutes
YouTube video by 22 Minutes
youtu.be
October 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
This is a great video by Patrick Boyle on the cross-investments between many tech companies.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbL7...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbL7...
Is AI’s Circular Financing Inflating a Bubble?
YouTube video by Patrick Boyle
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
This is a great video by Patrick Boyle on the cross-investments between many tech companies.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbL7...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbL7...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
"World oil supply will rise more rapidly than previously expected this year & a surplus could expand in 2026"
But by all means let's gamble on new oil pipelines in a world with a rapidly expanding oil glut. New pipelines are economic madness. #EndFossilFuels
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/ind...
But by all means let's gamble on new oil pipelines in a world with a rapidly expanding oil glut. New pipelines are economic madness. #EndFossilFuels
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/ind...
Global oil surplus could stretch into 2026 on higher OPEC+ output, softening demand, IEA says
The International Energy Agency says global supply may exceed demand by about 4 million bpd next year
www.theglobeandmail.com
October 14, 2025 at 12:33 PM
"World oil supply will rise more rapidly than previously expected this year & a surplus could expand in 2026"
But by all means let's gamble on new oil pipelines in a world with a rapidly expanding oil glut. New pipelines are economic madness. #EndFossilFuels
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/ind...
But by all means let's gamble on new oil pipelines in a world with a rapidly expanding oil glut. New pipelines are economic madness. #EndFossilFuels
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/ind...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Here is a story about a AAAI paper that got 5 human reviews and 1 AI review. The AI generated review contained a page-long counterexample to a proof in the paper. The AI’s counter example contained hallucinated errors. How does one rebut an AI reviewer? www.linkedin.com/posts/omerbp...
#aaai26 | Omer Ben-Porat | 13 comments
#AAAI26
This year, in addition to five human reviewers, we also received an AI review.
The humans sort of liked the paper, so there's hope.
The AI, however, took a bolder approach: it confidently d...
www.linkedin.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Here is a story about a AAAI paper that got 5 human reviews and 1 AI review. The AI generated review contained a page-long counterexample to a proof in the paper. The AI’s counter example contained hallucinated errors. How does one rebut an AI reviewer? www.linkedin.com/posts/omerbp...
Video recordings of CORL 2025 talks now available! Many interesting orals / keynotes / sponsor talks / early-career talks / poster spotlights.
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Use5...
Day 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2o...
Day 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzF...
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Use5...
Day 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2o...
Day 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzF...
CORL 2025
YouTube video by Conference on Robot Learning
www.youtube.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Video recordings of CORL 2025 talks now available! Many interesting orals / keynotes / sponsor talks / early-career talks / poster spotlights.
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Use5...
Day 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2o...
Day 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzF...
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Use5...
Day 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2o...
Day 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzF...
Rented a BYD Atto 3 EV for the better part of a week, for touring around the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. Great to drive, and, and no problems with charging, with just a bit of planning and having the right apps installed to pay. EV rentals on the Greek islands is not quite there yet.
October 17, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Rented a BYD Atto 3 EV for the better part of a week, for touring around the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. Great to drive, and, and no problems with charging, with just a bit of planning and having the right apps installed to pay. EV rentals on the Greek islands is not quite there yet.
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Sounds promising…
China overcomes key barriers to unlocking all-solid-state EV batteries with 1,000 km range
China overcomes key barriers to unlocking all-solid-state EV batteries with 1,000 km range
All-solid-state batteries may be the key to unlocking longer range, faster charging, and overall more efficient electric vehicles. After a series of breakthroughs, scientists in China overcame several hurdles that have been holding the new EV battery tech from hitting the market.
more…
electrek.co
October 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Sounds promising…
Really interesting and apparently effective ideas here.
Large-scale semi-discrete optimal transport with distributed Voronoi diagrams,
Final version available here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Final version available here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
September 26, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Really interesting and apparently effective ideas here.
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Critics of renewables often point to land use as a reason not to invest in wind & solar. Land use IS a real issue for all energy assets incl renewables (unless on-site).
But what critics conveniently forget is the huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Wickett, Texas. 👇
But what critics conveniently forget is the huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Wickett, Texas. 👇
September 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Critics of renewables often point to land use as a reason not to invest in wind & solar. Land use IS a real issue for all energy assets incl renewables (unless on-site).
But what critics conveniently forget is the huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Wickett, Texas. 👇
But what critics conveniently forget is the huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Wickett, Texas. 👇
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles
Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles
A duo of Tesla shareholder-influencers tried to complete Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving ride that he claimed Tesla would be able to do in 2017 and they crashed before making it about 60 miles.
more…
electrek.co
September 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
"global private sector investments last year of more than $2tn in green energy & low-carbon industry, dwarfing the $1tn poured into fossil fuels"
Green is the way forward and ...
... "Gov who choose to ignore this, financial advisers and economists who chose to ignore this, do so at their peril.”
Green is the way forward and ...
... "Gov who choose to ignore this, financial advisers and economists who chose to ignore this, do so at their peril.”
September 21, 2025 at 5:54 PM
"global private sector investments last year of more than $2tn in green energy & low-carbon industry, dwarfing the $1tn poured into fossil fuels"
Green is the way forward and ...
... "Gov who choose to ignore this, financial advisers and economists who chose to ignore this, do so at their peril.”
Green is the way forward and ...
... "Gov who choose to ignore this, financial advisers and economists who chose to ignore this, do so at their peril.”
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
This is absolutely true -- this is a superb and much-needed consolidation of so much of modern RL. Kevin, inquiring minds want to understand the process you use to put this artwork together! @sirbayes.bsky.social Perhaps this is also the ultimate benchmark for Gemini Deep Research reports. ;-p
Reminded again of Kevin Murphy's excellent RL overview: arxiv.org/abs/2412.05265
A lot of the stuff covered here really is at the cutting edge and not compiled so nicely anywhere else
A lot of the stuff covered here really is at the cutting edge and not compiled so nicely anywhere else
Reinforcement Learning: An Overview
This manuscript gives a big-picture, up-to-date overview of the field of (deep) reinforcement learning and sequential decision making, covering value-based methods, policy-based methods, model-based m...
arxiv.org
September 3, 2025 at 4:41 AM
This is absolutely true -- this is a superb and much-needed consolidation of so much of modern RL. Kevin, inquiring minds want to understand the process you use to put this artwork together! @sirbayes.bsky.social Perhaps this is also the ultimate benchmark for Gemini Deep Research reports. ;-p
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
Congratulations to UBC’s student hacking club Maple Bacon for making history at hacking convention DEF CON 2025! Read more about their win in our new article: www.cs.ubc.ca/news/2025/08...
August 29, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Congratulations to UBC’s student hacking club Maple Bacon for making history at hacking convention DEF CON 2025! Read more about their win in our new article: www.cs.ubc.ca/news/2025/08...
Reposted by Michiel van de Panne
I don’t need a self driving car. I need a vehicle that runs between major areas and can transport large numbers of people at once to reduce environmental impact…wait it’s a train. I’m describing trains.
Build more goddamned TRAINS, America.
Build more goddamned TRAINS, America.
August 27, 2025 at 5:54 AM
I don’t need a self driving car. I need a vehicle that runs between major areas and can transport large numbers of people at once to reduce environmental impact…wait it’s a train. I’m describing trains.
Build more goddamned TRAINS, America.
Build more goddamned TRAINS, America.